Just in time for tomorrow.....

I probably won't be too busy to say this tomorrow, but let's get it out of the way now, if that's OK with you...

BOO!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmm...the top of that keeps getting cut off...Oh well. Close enough. You get the idea, right? ;-)
Have a safe and Happy Halloween, and also, don't forget, tomorrow night, we set our clocks back one hour.
xoxoxoxo
Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow. ;-)

Dragging myself through...second by second~~~~

I somehow don't think anyone has any idea whatsoever, how hard it is to be chronically anemic.
Let me explain something.
When I still had my kidneys, they churned out a healthy helping of a hormone called erythropoietin. That hormone is responsible for the production of new red blood cells.
Then, my kidneys got large, infected, and painful...so, they had to come out.
Ever since then, my blood supply has been precious...but not endless.
I've been on Epogen...phony erythropoietin...ever since. When I was on hemodialysis, I got Epogen every day of treatment, or three days a week. When on peritoneal dialysis, as I am now, I get it as needed...which was once a week at one time...is now twice a week.
In May of 2008, my hemoglobin got down to 7. That's low enough that I needed a blood transfusion, which made a world of difference.
Usually, though...whether because Medicare won't cover certain procedures under certain conditions...usually, I end up getting Epogen shots.
These last two months or so, my hemoglobin dropped, down to 10. Not quite as low as it was when I had that transfusion...but it's sure got me feeling as though I've been hit by a truck!!!!
That's why I'm up to two Epogen shots a week now. Because of how my hemoglobin level dropped and didn't go back up with just one Epogen shot a week.
According to my nurse, the Epogen shots stop when my hemoglobin gets up to 12. I'll bet it doesn't stay at 12, though!!
12, though, is the limit, for a dialysis patient.
For me, personally, that's still kind of anemic. When I had my kidneys, my hemoglobin was usually about 14, or even 16!! So, 12 would be comparatively anemic.
OK, now that I've gone over the technicalities of it.....
I don't think anyone has the slightest idea of how hard it is to drag yourself through, day by day, second by second....movement by movement....
Anemia is an energy-zapper, if ever there was one!!!!
Maybe for convenience's sake...it's just not convenient to understand how hard it is for an anemic to even breathe sometimes....so, most people don't understand that.
That's what I'm trying to tell you, though. It IS hard to be anemic. Harder than one might think.
Thanks for hearing me out.
It's been a hell of a week...a hell of a day...I appreciate being able to come back here and write....and I wish I had more readers, but I'm not writing for my readers. I'm writing for myself. I wish more people would sneak in here and take a look, but it's my blog...if that makes any sense.
I have a feeling now that I'm just rambling for nothing, so.......
Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow!!!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"Only YOU Can Prevent Wildfires." --Smoky Bear

Two years ago this week, many residents of San Diego County had to evacuate, as multiple wildfires raged through the area. I was here then. Where I worked, we had two days off, because so many other employees were busy evacuating. We were close, but we didn't have to evacuate after all. We were damn close, though, as I remember. I was on "PD" at the time, as I am now too, and I received instructions for what to do, and what to take with me, should we have to evacuate. Considering that I'd either have had to do 4 manual exchanges a day, or drag the machine with me, I was very much relieved that we didn't have to evacuate. My car was in two transmission shops during the firestorm, and was full of ashes, inside and out. I couldn't quite figure out how the ashes got inside the car, since it was closed up most of the time...but apparently it has some flimsy seals around the windows and doors.
Four years ago next week, several wildfires raged through San Diego County as well.
The 2003 and 2007 firestorms had one thing in common: the air quality was horrible. I remember how the patio, and the cars, were full of ashes, and the sky was gray with smoke.
Let's not have another firestorm this year, OK?? I'd fully appreciate if we'd all be extra careful, and do what it takes to NOT start a fire.
Good health and safety to one and all!!
xoxo

Latest Liver News~~~~~

Last week, I learned that a recent ultrasound done on my gallbladder, liver, and spleen, showed that I may have a hemangioma in my liver. I wonder if that's really what showed up. I know that I have a polycystic liver...I wonder if a liver cyst could look like a hemangioma....
The results of today's MRI will tell me for sure.
I have no symptoms. I had no idea this was going on. But, having only one liver, and it's been hard enough finding a kidney donor...I really don't need any problems with liver failure at this point.
At this point, I'm kind of tired...possibly from being anemic...possibly from who-knows-what...but I wanted to touch base.
Oh, and the latest snag in getting a kidney transplant is, that...well, let me back up. I've had Medicare since May, 2008, due to End-Stage Renal Disease and being on dialysis. At first I was in Ohio, where I finally got Ohio Medicaid after having been there for almost a year. Then I came back here, to California. I'm still trying to get Medi-Cal, but here's the snag. Medi-Cal says that it's up to the Federal government to get me started with Medi-Cal, because I am receiving Social Security benefits. Social Security, on the other hand, says that it's up to the state, because Medi-Cal is a state program. They keep referring me to each other, I presume because neither wants anything to do with a high-risk patient like me. I don't know....all I know is that I need Medi-Cal before Sharp will let me get a kidney transplant...so I sure wish I could hurry things along and get it all straightened out once and for all!!!!! I am entitled to Medi-Cal benefits...again, because of End-Stage Renal Disease, and because I'm on Social Security. Plus that I'll go absolutely broke paying the part of my bills that Medicare doesn't cover.
Thanks for stopping by again!!
xoxo

My Cats' Names~

I wanted to do this, following the last post, of how I got my name.
My cats...
Well, I don't think I did half bad on naming them, considering...
Let me back up again, as I did on my last post.
Waaaaaay back when, in 1960, my mom's parents acquired two cats. Their cats were originally named Antony Armstrong Jones (Tony), and Queen Elizabeth--after two members of the Royal Family at the time. But, soon, they discovered that Queen Elizabeth was a boy kitty, so they had to change his name. Mom's sister knew someone in school by the name of Jerry, and she liked that name, so...majority vote went with that. Hence, the two cats' names were Tony and Jerry--Tony short for Antony Armstrong Jones, and Jerry short for...Jerry.
Tony and Jerry the firsts lived until 1974, when my maternal grandfather had them put to sleep shortly after Grandma passed. (Awwwwwwwwwwww)...
August 29, 2001, I met my little kittens for the first time. They were just hours old at the time. I almost named one of my boys Stripes, for the fact that they have very obvious stripes. But then, I thought, I'd like to give them family names. We did indeed have a Tony and Jerry in the cat family....so, I went with that, for the boys of course.
My girl became Muppet, which is kitten-talk for Muffin, which she has always been...my little muffin. And for short, she's Mup.
Gee, that was easy!!
Thanks again for stopping by!!
Love ya!